A belief in unifying principles that underlie all natural phenomena was first articulated by Aristotle who proposed all matter stems from the four elements of nature: earth, air, fire, and water (Duft). The search for such principles has since evolved considerably, yet the firmly rooted interest in a fundamental unification persists. The topic of unification is defined as attempts to explain several principles according to one definition or equation. This occurs in all areas of science, from biology to cosmology. In physics, the unification of often seemingly unrelated concepts has led to new equations and discoveries. Several physicists even posit that one ultimate Theory of Everything exists to explain the nature and behavior of all matter and energy in existence (Taylor). This notion has intrigued scientists and philosophers for decades and the final theory, should one exist, has yet to be determined.
Unification begins with connecting complementary ideas into more general theories and serves an important role in explaining observations. More rigorously, the concept of unification can be defined as the reduction many related concepts to form a simple, integrated theory (Salmon). The purpose of unification is to foster a cohesive understanding of the universe. Bartelborth explains that, “we seek order and structure in our world and make sense of phenomena by recognizing them as instances of a general pattern by which we unify our knowledge of the world” (Bartelborth). By relating concepts into one logical explanation, our mind can form patterns that are used to extrapolate predictions to new incoming information. For instance, knowing that birds and insects have wings and that most of these animals are capable of flight leads...
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Woody, Andrea. "How is the Ideal Gas Law Explanatory." Sci & Educ 22 (2013): 1563-1580.
Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity has had a colossal impact on the world and is the accepted physical theory reg...
To begin, the concept of unification is essentially the idea that scientific explanations should provide a unified account of a range of different phenomena. In other words, the best theories are those that can explain the most phenomena in the simplest way. This is why in the history of scientific explanation, we preferred Newton’s theory of motion over the more specific theories of Kepler and Galileo that preceded it. Because Newton’s theory was able to “unify” the observational data of his predecessors, as well as explain other...
Six hundred years ago western culture adopted the general scientific model as an unproven assumed perspective. The general scientific model developed as a phenomenon of knowledge that could be tested and replicated by all. The general scientific model presents a foundation of perception upon which theories, assumptions, and most beliefs are based off. Only confined by human limitations, the general scientific model is perceived to have endless possibilities of achievable knowledge. According to the general scientific model there are simply four basic assumptions that base the key to all knowledge: every event has a cause, causes can be known, humans can discover the causes of events, and ignorance of causes is due to improper tools (Portko,
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An underlying theme present throughout the series is the possibility that our existence is not the only one. According to current theories in physics, it is entirely possible that our universe is just one of many universes f...
... a theory should be able to explain a wide variety of things, not just only what it was intended to explain.
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Moritz Schlick believed the all important attempts at establishing a theory of knowledge grow out of the doubt of the certainty of human knowledge. This problem originates in the wish for absolute certainty. A very important idea is the concept of "protocol statements", which are "...statements which express the facts with absolute simplicity, without any moulding, alteration, or addition, in whose elaboration every science consists, and which precede all knowing, every judgment regarding the world." (1) It makes no sense to speak of uncertain facts, only assertions and our knowledge can be uncertain. If we succeed therefore in expressing the raw facts in protocol statements without any contamination, these appear to be the absolutely indubitable starting points of all knowledge. They are again abandoned, but they constitute a firm basis "...to which all our cognitions owe whatever validity they may possess." (2) Math is stated indirectly into protocol statements which are resolved into definite protocol statements which one could formulate exactly, in principle, but with tremendous effort. Knowledge in life and science in some sense begins with confirmation of facts, and the protocol statements stand at the beginning of science. In the event that protocol statements would be distinguished by definite logical properties, structure, position in the system of science, and one would be confronted with the task of actually specifying these properties. We fin...
Gliboff, S. (1999). Gregor Mendel and the laws of evolution. History of Science 37: 217-228.
It is evident that pure science is the foundation of theories on which the science is built, but the application of these theories allow for a more concise understanding of the science. The application of science is not only a benefit to society in providing for many luxuries and making life less burdensome but it also helps progress science itself. Where an experiment may be able to isolate a specific variable of interest and test it, a full application provides for a complete understanding of the dynamics present in a conglomeration of forces and theories intertwined that is nature.
Thomas Kuhn's book The Copernican Revolution effectively demonstrates how the conceptual schemes of science are constantly changing and being replaced. Kuhn was able to recount the past with diagrams, and full explanations of the different theories and systems that lead up to the Copernican revolution. He also gave a full explanation of the theories that followed. This book was surprisingly enjoyable to read, and should be read by anyone interested in the evolution of science and western thought.